# David reigns in Hebron amid civil war United Kingdom · Draft · BSB Content revision: 5245bacdf064698a · No editorial review date recorded [Citation / readable page](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/david-hebron/) [Open interactive map](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/?event=david-hebron) [Markdown](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/david-hebron/index.md) [JSON](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/david-hebron/index.json) Date: After Saul · David’s seven and a half years at Hebron David is anointed king over Judah at Hebron, while Abner supports Saul’s son Ish-bosheth at Mahanaim. A prolonged struggle divides the houses. Abner and Ish-bosheth are murdered, and David publicly rejects responsibility for their deaths. David’s rule over Judah lasts seven years and six months; he is not yet king over all Israel. The chapters include rivalry, family ties and revenge, not a peaceful transfer immediately after Saul’s death. Ish-bosheth’s two-year reign is not simply equated with David’s entire Hebron period. ## Primary Scripture [2 Samuel 2:1–4:12 (BSB)](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%202%3A1%E2%80%934%3A12&version=BSB) 2:1 Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,” the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” replied the LORD. 2:2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 2:3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron. 2:4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” 2:5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him. 2:6 Now may the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness, and I will also show you the same favor because you have done this. 2:7 Now then, be strong and courageous, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me as their king.” 2:8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim, 2:9 and made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel. 2:10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 2:11 And the length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 2:12 One day Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 2:13 So Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. And the two groups took up positions on opposite sides of the pool. 2:14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let us have the young men get up and compete before us.” “Let them get up,” Joab replied. 2:15 So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 2:16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is called Helkath-hazzurim. 2:17 The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David. 2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle, 2:19 and he chased Abner, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit. 2:20 And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” Asahel replied. 2:21 So Abner told him, “Turn to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him. 2:22 Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?” 2:23 But Asahel refused to turn away. So Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. 2:24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 2:25 The Benjamites rallied to Abner, formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill. 2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?” 2:27 “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.” 2:28 So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight. 2:29 And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim. 2:30 When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s servants were missing, 2:31 but they had struck down 360 Benjamites who were with Abner. 2:32 And they took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at daybreak. 3:1 Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. 3:2 And sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3:3 his second was Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 3:4 his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital; 3:5 and his sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These sons were born to David in Hebron. 3:6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had continued to strengthen his position in the house of Saul. 3:7 Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?” 3:8 Abner was furious over Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not delivered you into the hand of David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman! 3:9 May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him: 3:10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 3:11 And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him. 3:12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and surely my hand will be with you to bring all Israel over to you.” 3:13 “Good,” replied David, “I will make a covenant with you. But there is one thing I require of you: Do not appear before me unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me.” 3:14 Then David sent messengers to say to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife, Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred Philistine foreskins.” 3:15 So Ish-bosheth sent and took Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 3:16 Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home. 3:17 Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king. 3:18 Now take action, because the LORD has said to David, ‘Through My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’” 3:19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites. Then he went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. 3:20 When Abner and twenty of his men came to David at Hebron, David held a feast for them. 3:21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace. 3:22 Just then David’s soldiers and Joab returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, because David had sent him on his way in peace. 3:23 When Joab and all his troops arrived, he was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, who sent him on his way in peace.” 3:24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away! 3:25 Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.” 3:26 As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David was unaware of it. 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel. 3:28 Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 3:29 May it whirl over the head of Joab and over the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.” 3:30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.) 3:31 Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier. 3:32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept. 3:33 And the king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner die the death of a fool? 3:34 Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more. 3:35 Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!” 3:36 All the people took note and were pleased. In fact, everything the king did pleased them. 3:37 So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner. 3:38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great prince has fallen today in Israel? 3:39 And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil!” 4:1 Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed. 4:2 Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 4:3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day. 4:4 And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth. 4:5 Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap. 4:6 They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away. 4:7 They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 4:8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.” 4:9 But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 4:10 when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news! 4:11 How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!” 4:12 So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron. ## Related Scripture [Deuteronomy 19:11–13 · teaching](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2019%3A11%E2%80%9313&version=BSB) Moses requires accountability for deliberate killing, even when a killer seeks protection. ## Location evidence Hebron is an identified city. Mahanaim’s marker is a proposed site; the map does not draw firm boundaries between the competing kingdoms. Event map marker: Identified site; \[longitude, latitude\] = \[35.10222, 31.525087\]. This is a teaching marker, not an exact event venue. Hebron: Identified site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.10222, 31.525087\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible · Hebron](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/a85151a/hebron) Gibeon: Identified site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.183351, 31.847451\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible · Gibeon](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/aede336/gibeon) Mahanaim: Proposed site. Coordinates \[longitude, latitude\]: \[35.68667, 32.18575\]. Classification source: editorial. [OpenBible · Mahanaim](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/ae5bfe9/mahanaim) [OpenBible · Hebron](https://www.openbible.info/geo/ancient/a85151a/hebron) ## For the class Why does David refuse to reward those who claim to have helped him through murder? ## Interpretation and reuse Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review. Record source: editorial (content/authored/united-kingdom.json) Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0. Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas. Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm [Use this atlas with AI / data documentation](https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/ai/)